| From: | Gary Peake |
| Date: | 1 Aug 2000 at 22:00:27 |
| Subject: | Re: AMIOPEN: Amiwest news / new SDK |
On Tue, 1 Aug 2000 11:58:16 -0400 (EDT), you wrote:
Hope no one minds my follwo-up here. Aaron raises some good points
that need to be discussed even if this is a developer list. I know you
guys are busy, so please bear with me while I answer.
>Unfortunately, I find this and all the other upbeat news announced at
>AmiWest being pulled off balance by a big black hole on the event
>horizon...
>
>> A version of the SDK for Windows will be made available next month.
>
>I find this a most untimely and disturbing announcement. As any
>student of this industry's monopolist physics can demonstrate, it
>won't take long for the windows vacuum to suck away all the light
>that's been shared with Amiga so far. Any concession to the monopoly
>corruptions at this stage of Amiga development seems hugely premature
>and remains, despite all fronts and assurances, a drain on resources
>and a serious contradiction to the alternative community commitments
>that Amiga Inc. has so successfully stated, solicited and exploited to
>date.
What we are offering long term is a way for a developer to write once
and run on many different chip sets. Being hardware indifferent is
very important.
There is another aspect to this that needs to be looked at. In our
better years, some of the most prolific and ingenious developers were
programming for the Amiga. Many no longer keep up with what is
happening and there is no way to find them all.
We decided back a few months ago to engage as many developers as
possible in the future of the Amiga. To do so, it is necessary to go
where they are. Once we have their interest, then we feel they will
stay just as you have.
We are not looking to develop FOR Windows, but to be able to develop
ON Windows. There is a marked difference between the two.
>The first obvious and unavoidable result of this action will be the
>destruction of the market for the alternative Developer Systems. It
>seems in keeping with an Amiga corporate tradition of sepuku that this
>is announced just as the DevBox systems are actually becoming
>available. What motivation is there for buying a DevBox now? Why
>would anyone get off the couch to invest the extra money and energy
>needed to view the alternatives, when Amiga Inc. is broadcasting that
>they should just lay back, punch the remote and join all the other
>potatos on the monopoly shopping channel?
Our intended target market for the original SDK, as we did state, was
Linux developers who believe in Open Source. We have a commitment to
open source and want to open as much as we can to the open source
developers.
The Dev Box is targeted at Amiga developers who can not or do not want
the problem of installing Linux on a computer. Nothing we have done
has hurt either targeted market.
The third leg is to involve some ex_Amiga (now Windows) developers in
the process by offering an SDK that works on top of Windows.
The Fourth stage is a free standing SDK.
Four targets, four separate markets, four separate products.
Each of these markets will bring new things to the SDK and the
platform as it grows, as will our internal development staff.
As Bill stated at AmiWest, we are NOT going to be charging for SDK
upgrades that come through this process. We are going to make them
available to everyone who has purchased any of the target SDK's.
>Again in the Amiga marketing tradition, the first ones left slashed
>and bleeding from a premature windows releases will be that tenacious
>but waivering handful of remaining Amiga dealers; especially the ones
>who had placed trust in the new AI's stated alternative focus and
>invested in distributing the Developer Systems.
Why would they be slashed and burned? We are working closely with the
few remaining dealers and developmental companies. I talk to them as
does Randy and Bill on a weekly basis. They are going to have a
chance to finally expand their markets rather than watching as their
markets shrink to nothing.
>Of course, once you point the sword the wrong direction, you have to
>start applying bandages, with the common result of adding more gashes
>in the process. An example may be the sudden announcement, just a
>couple of weeks prior to AmiWest, that the $1000 "Trailblazer"
>Developer registration would be included with the Linux DevBox
>systems. Perhaps an attempt to patch the critical wound from a windows
>SDK release would exlain why such a nasty cut was delivered to all the
>committed developers who had already invested in the Linux SDK release
>and/or compatible systems to run it on. (I guess we caught the
>bleeding edge literally this time... but the choice seemed a lot more
>productive than waiting indefinitely for the DevBox offering to
>arrive.)
Why not offer a value add so that Dealers CAN improve their market
positions? You can't argue on one point that we are killing them and
on another that we are favoring them?
No one who buys an SDK is going to be "cheated" or "slashed".
>I think the theme from Mash was way off: suicide is never a painless
>proposition. ;-)
>
>The only thin ray of light that has escaped the black hole so far is
>Gary Peake's follow up announcement that a Stand Alone SDK is close to
>release as well. Of course, any windows release within 6 months of
>this will overshadow that pretty completely. Why the stand alone SDK
>and OE releases aren't the ONLY focus of AI at present is beyond me.
Because some developers want to be a part of the beginning, want the
fame or glory of having produced a part of what we are doing. Also,
people sit back and talk about what isn't being done, we decided to
show people what CAN be done if you put your mind and heart into it.
This won't change.
>> Red Hat will start selling the SDK next week. Also Sun have started using
>> Amiga software to demo Java stuff.
>
>Cool! Very encouraging demonstrations of commitment from the essential
>partners AI has brought on board! That is, if the light here escapes
>the gravity well.
A cup is either half full or half empty depending on perspective and
perception. Mine is always half full.
>> There are going to be public beta releases of the OE prior to release.
>
>That will be excellent... if...
If what? We will make those calls right here and on the closed
developer lists.
>> There is going to be an Amiga IPO.
>
>I have to think that these IPO plans are still scheduled for a ways
>down the road. Besides the huge risks associated with an immature
>company jumping into the volatile IPO arena, Bill McEwen has
>indicated that he may need to step down from running the show at that
>time. He seems to me to be the most positive, reliable and consistent
>voice in the mix and he needs to keep standing where he is for a good
>while longer (as who've seen him in action here seem to agree).
I agree with the assessment that Bill is a valuable commodity to what
we do. I do NOT agree that anyone would think he should "step down" if
we IPO. The man knows what he wants and how to get where we want to
go.
>> Paul Nolan is now doing contract work for Amiga.
>
>Cool. Paul is sharp and has stuck it out with Amiga work for a long
>time. Dedicated people are the only essential ingredient of success.
Yes, very nice guy. Very motivated. Hard working developer. Very
intelligent.
>> More on the license issues: No software developers will be forced to pay
>> royalties. Voluntarily, they can sign up for a certification program, which
>> will give their products an official Amiga "badge" and the chance to have
>> their product marketed by Amiga themselves. This will cost them $1.50 per
>> sold item.
>
>Reason prevails! (well, at least in the licensing plan:)
This was stated 100 times before. It is a "certification" process that
probably won't take effect until 2001 and then ONLY if a developer
WANTS to participate. We need to be further along before I open that
up however.
>I find it most encouraging that the licensing process has been so
>significantly revised. I know more than a few developers were ready to
>say forget it or were not even considering AmigaNG unless something a
>whole lot more practical, affordable and realistic came forward. After
>reading the "fine print" license details that came in the SDK, I was
>about convinced to pack it up and move on, too.
I stated what the program was several times. I would hate to think
anyone would walk away without knowing what the program was really
about. That is one of the purposes of this list.
>> Amiga will start offering low-cost promotional merchandise to
>> user groups.
>
>Great! The user groups are struggling and need all the help they can
>get. Of course, low cost beta OE releases and maybe a couple OE
>systems to demo will be a whole lot better... ;-)
Beta will be free, no charge? How could you charge to allow people to
beta an application?
>> At the show, Amiga were showing off an ARM-based touchscreen unit,
>> running the new OE. The design is by none other than Mick Tinker,
>> and it's not being sold commercially yet.
>
>> Backwards compatibility to the Classic Amiga from the new OE will
>> be dealt with by something that "is not an emulator".
>
>Still more cool news! Hope all the plans manage to shine though the
>looming dark anamoly.
Step into the light Luke, it is there for all to see.
Catch the Dream ... Amiga Dream Team